


homage

by movements



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Character Study, Codependency, Gen, Good Brother Klaus Hargreeves, No Incest, Seperation Anxiety, Sibling Bonding, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, fuck that, no beta we die like ben, the major death is Ben
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-10-01 21:31:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20411365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/movements/pseuds/movements
Summary: ‘None of the children want to be heroes, and none less than the Horror. He’s only trying to please Hargreaves and Spaceboy. I suppose this is normal enough for a teenage human, but he’s not learning how to be an individual in his own right.’-Ben never learns how to live for himself.





	homage

**Author's Note:**

> <3

_ ‘None of the children want to be heroes, and none less than the Horror. He’s only trying to please Hargreaves and Spaceboy. I suppose this is normal enough for a teenage human, but he’s not learning how to be an individual in his own right.’ _

Ben was crying again, tears meddling with the blood stained onto his cheeks. 

‘You’re just too sensitive, Number Six. These are the  _ bad guys _ .’ Luther supplied, seemingly unsatisfied with Ben’s performance on the mission. 

Number Six nodded, muscles going weak with the movement. Luther was right, he really needed to toughen up. Reginald probably saw Ben as weak, incapable.  _ Number One never cried after missions.  _

‘You’re spending too much time with Klaus.’ Luther continued, and Ben didn’t know what that meant. ‘He’s too emotional, too scared of his own powers to be useful.’ 

Was Ben too emotional? Was he too scared of his own powers to be useful for the team? Ben couldn’t help it. The Horror just  _ hurt _ , ripped out of his stomach and shredded his organs, flung him around the room and left him quivering in the blood of men he killed. It was miserable and he hated it.

Despite that, he couldn’t end up like Klaus, too afraid of his abilities to make them useful. As much as Ben loved his brother, Four was a disappointment to Father, and Ben just couldn’t make the same mistakes as him to end up in his shoes. 

Ben’s face contorted into a grimace, stench of blood finally reaching his nose. ‘Yeah.’ He replied simply. Tears were still running down his cheeks, and he tried desperately to will it away in front of Luther. He would find his way to Klaus’ room if he wanted to cry.

-

Ben did find himself in Klaus’ room that night.

His face was still red and swollen from crying, sight blurred and dizzy from nauseousness, and he hadn’t even found the time to wash the blood caked onto his skin. Mom usually did it for him but Reginald insisted he toughen up and handle things himself. Father would be proud to know he was unphased by the carnage.

(Ben was disgusted.)

Klaus was restless in his sleep, as usual, thrashing against the sheets and murmuring quietly to himself.  _ He _ was usually the one that needed Ben’s comfort, a shoulder to cry into. Ben was always happy to do so, made him feel needed and loved by his family. 

Tonight Ben needed Klaus’ shoulder. His knees knocked against the wooden frame of the bed, not trying to get punched by Klaus in a sleepy haze. A hand found its way to rattle his brother’s back, and Ben wondered if he was saving him from some horrifying nightmare. He hoped he was, while simultaneously hoping it didn’t resort to that case.

‘Klaus.’ He breathed. The body under his hand stirred. 

‘Ben?’ Klaus croaked.

His eyes pried open slowly, red and tired. They immediately widened as they looked Ben over, eyes trailing the blood splattered against his skin. Noting the way he shivered and how his lungs rattled with each breath, stomach aching with pain at the intrusion. He couldn’t move himself any further, could collapse at any moment.

‘You stink.’ Was Klaus’ response. Something like a smile lifted onto his face.

Ben tried to match the expression, lips curling upwards at Klaus’ nonchalance. ‘Asshole.’ He stood awkwardly beside the bed, Klaus staring at him from where he was propped up on his elbows.

‘Well! Up we go. C’mon, Benny, chop chop!’ Klaus jumped up from where he was laying, making his way out of the room. Down the hall and into the bathroom. He stared blankly at his silhouette before following.

Ben could barely shuffle out of the room, muscles aching and screaming with pain. He could hear the faint stream of water start from the shower, while Klaus returned to help him move. A thin, lanky arm wrapped around his shoulders and nudged him forward, supporting his weight under his fragile body.

Ben could feel the tears falling off his chin and onto Klaus’ shoulders.

‘Sorry.’ Ben mumbled. 

Ben loved Klaus, but he’d seriously rather  _ not _ have to be undressed by his brother, despite how much pain he was in. He gave Ben the privacy to get out of his clothes, standing idly outside the door.

Ben let his body sink into the warmth. He felt so cold lately.

‘Enjoying yourself in there?’ Klaus whisper-yelled. It was late and they weren’t supposed to be awake, which made Ben feel guilty and anxious with the fear that Father would find out and send the both of them to extra training.

Ben knew that Klaus’ flowery words translated to  _ ‘are you okay’.  _ Ben could lie. He could put on a brave face like Luther told him to do, dismiss Klaus with the idea that he was fine. 

A broken sob choked past Ben’s throat, while he searched for the words. ‘It hurts. God, it  _ hurts _ .’ He gripped out.

‘I’m coming in, so make yourself decent,  _ mi hermano. _ ’

Ben knew there was nothing much he could do from his position to cover up. He didn’t even care, suddenly too preoccupied with the bile rising in his throat.

Ben hurled himself over the tub and vomited onto the floor right as Klaus walked in. 

_ ‘Christ on a- shit _ .’ Klaus stuttered. Tumbling back a little to avoid the mess. ‘Do you, like, need mom?’

Ben muttered a string of rushed  _ no’s _ . This whole thing was already so pathetic, his brother having to help him  _ bathe _ . Luther would be disgusted at his weakness, his father would be disappointed. It made something shrivel up inside of Ben, rotten and sad.

‘Bentacles?’ 

He didn’t even realize he was sobbing until he saw the concern in Klaus’ eyes. Ben could only stare up with wide open eyes, and that was enough for Klaus.

‘Okay!’ He responded brightly. ‘We’ll talk tonight, okay? Are you gonna be able to, like, bathe yourself on your own?’ 

Ben nodded weakly. 

Klaus grinned at him. ‘You’ll be fine Benny boy. Nothing we haven’t suffered before, hm?’ 

Ben supplied a shaky grin, unsure how to take the reassurance. Then Klaus left, promising he’d be back to help him walk down the hallway.

Ben slept dreamlessly that night.

-

_ Those two simply let him die. _

-

Ben knew what was happening, what was about to happen.

He’d pushed himself, but that’s what Dad had told him to do all along, wasn't it? He could hear Luther screaming, which was never a good sign, because that meant he was making himself weak. Luther always told Ben that weakness made him vulnerable, that he needed to stay calm and strong on missions. He’d tried, he’d worked hard on it, he’d done it to impress Luther.

Now he was going to die.

Five was gone and Vanya would be nowhere near the mission site. There was no sign of Klaus, and he assumed he was stuck on lookout duty that he always grumbled about. All his other siblings were there, by his side in a panicked haze, while Ben slipped into a numb haze of blood and pain. So Ben really wants Klaus now.

The pain had come before, the impact of having his limbs ripped apart while his stomach spilled out from his shredded guts, before he lost enough blood that he hadn’t the energy to focus on the pain. Maybe this was shock. 

It would be nice if someone held his hand, he supposed. Klaus was always the most emotionally attuned, which Luther always berated him for. Ben was sure he was crying now, and he knew that holding Klaus’ hand would be a sign of weakness, but he’s sure Luther would let Ben have a pass this time.

There’s echoes of cries, and he knows he’s fading away now, his thoughts muddled and distant and far apart. He can still hear the commotion, the screams of his siblings, and he wishes they would stop for a moment and accept his death. Let him go in peace, in silence. There was  _ still _ no sign of Klaus, which choked one last pitiful sob out of him.

He hoped at least he could’ve made them proud, his family. Ben wondered if he’d see Five. If he could find Klaus.

It was his last grip of hope before his life faded from his body.

**Author's Note:**

> next up- klaus and ghostie ben!!


End file.
